


fight for you

by avengersincamphalfbloodstardis



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cute, First Kiss, Holiday Fic Exchange, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poor Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener, Protectiveness, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21949192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengersincamphalfbloodstardis/pseuds/avengersincamphalfbloodstardis
Summary: Since Peter got his powers, he could of course take on his bullies, but it would be at the risk of revealing his secret identity. Harley sees a way around that.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 3
Kudos: 274





	fight for you

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for [mochalottie](https://mochalottie.tumblr.com/) for [Parkner Secret Santa](https://parkner-secret-santa.tumblr.com/)! I was so excited to work on this, and your wishlist immediately inspired me. I hope you enjoy!

Harley’s gangly figure was hunched over the worktable, screwdriver in hand as he fiddled with a bit of unrecognizable machinery, when Peter walked in.

“Hi,” he said, voice low. His mind still felt the aftereffects of yesterday, hanging low like fruit from a tree, unable to do much more than sway.

Harley looked up to him, a tiny sheepish smile on his face as he did so. “Hey.”

Peter gasped, his bag dropping to the ground, spider reflexes be damned.

“ _Harley_ ,” he said, horror mixing the name in his mouth before he spat it out.

“Before you say more,” Harley said, trying for an attempt at humor. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Barely listening, Peter slowly rounded the table.

“Harley,” he said again, much softer.

Harley cracked a tiny smile, wincing as it pulled at the deep purple bruise that spanned his eye and dipped far past his cheekbones, curling into the split lip that extended into his jaw. “You should see the other guy.”

“Who?” Peter demanded, anger fluttering under his voice.

Harley winced again, this time in preparation for Peter’s reaction. “Uh, it was some of Flash’s pals.”

“What?” Peter said, stopping short in surprise. “Why?”

“I may have told them to pick on someone who would fight them back, if it was a fight they were looking for,” Harley said, tone light. “And when they asked who that might be, I may have hit them.”

“ _Harley_ ,” Peter said, yet again. He moved closer, gaze dancing across Harley’s injuries, knowing that if his face looked this bad, surely there would be bruises under his shirt as well. “What on earth were you thinking?”

“Well, I figured,” Harley huffed a soft, slow breath. “You couldn’t fight them without risking showing your powers. I don’t have any powers, so what’s stopping me from fighting them?”

“Common sense,” Peter said, eyes worrying over the swollen skin. “At least, it should be.”

Harley chuckled softly. “Guess not.”

“Jeez Harley, you could have been really hurt,” Peter said, torn between being upset that Harley had put himself in danger and so thankful that someone wanted to protect him like this. “Fuck, you _were_. I can’t believe you’d get yourself into trouble like this just because I get bullied from time to time.”

Before Harley could answer Peter’s words, Peter stepped in again, inspecting Harley’s injuries from where he was.

“You wanna mother hen me?” Harley asked with a slanted grin.

Frankly, he did want to mother hen him.

Peter cupped under Harley’s jaw, lifting gently to survey the damage.

“What were you thinking?” he murmured, his gaze on the gash down Harley’s jaw.

Harley shrugged. “Pretty sure you’ve told me I don’t think enough.” He tried to hide the smile that tugged at his lip with his words.

Too worried to smile, though Peter recognized the teasing, he ran the pad of his thumb across the unharmed skin of Harley’s jaw. “You could have been hurt so much worse. I can’t believe you got hurt as bad as you did.”

“Yeah, but doesn’t it make me look roguishly handsome?” Harley asked with a cocksure grin, wincing when it tugged at his busted lip.

Peter’s other hand flew up to hold Harley’s opposite cheek, cradling Harley’s face in his hands. “Christ Harley, careful. You’re really hurt here.”

“It’s not that bad, Peter, honestly,” Harley said, but he didn’t pull away. “Don’t you get hurt worse on the reg? Being Spiderman and all.”

Peter hesitated.

“It’s different, Harl,” he said slowly. “I’ve got a responsibility to help people.”

Harley’s hand flew up to clutch at Peter’s wrist. “I’ve got a responsibility to _you_ , someone I care about. I’m not just ignoring that because I don’t have powers.”

“Harley, I...” Peter looked down, not sure how to word what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath and looked back up to Harley’s eyes. “Not to sound like a huge bummer or anything, but people have bullied me for awhile. And they’re probably not gonna stop. They’re jerks, that’s how it is. And I used to be small and weak and I couldn’t do much about it. Now, I have to pretend that’s how it still is. But it’s okay— _I’m_ okay. Thank you for standing up for me. It honestly means the world. No one’s ever done it to this extreme before. But I care about you too—so much. So please, _please_ don’t ever do it again.”

Harley was quiet for a long moment. Then, he slowly brought his hands up to Peter’s waist, nearly shaking with nerves as he placed them there. They pressed over Peter’s sweater, warm through the fabric. With a careful, firm grip, he drew Peter in closer, making him take a step forward so he was standing between his legs.

He looked Peter directly in the eye, jaw set, gaze unwavering.

“Kiss me gently,” Harley said, tone determined. “My lip’s kinda busted here.”

Peter’s lips parted in surprise as he looked back at Harley, who’s steadfast gaze was apparent even with his swollen, purple eye. Then, his heart beating like it might shake right out of his ribcage, he threw himself forward, fingers pressing into Harley’s cheeks as he kissed him.

He had to remind himself to stay gentle for the sake of Harley’s split lips, his kiss staying soft, a gentle brush of his lips. 

For his part, Harley seemed happy to keep the touch of their lips light if he could hold the rest of Peter as tightly to him as possible. He circled his arms around Peter’s waist and pulled him even closer, pressing their chests together as close as was possible. His hold was secure, like he could keep Peter close to him for hours and never need to relax his grip.

They parted with a soft breath shared between them, neither moving back very far. The locks of their hair that fell over their foreheads brushed together, their eyes meeting as they simply breathed together.

“Now this is the way to care about me,” Peter said, pausing to bite his lip, holding back a laugh. “No more getting beat up. Just kiss me instead.”

“Deal,” Harley said, leaning in for another kiss.


End file.
